25 HP vs 35 HP

[searcyfarms]

my last comment on this............due to my age I have spent many times wishing I had something better to fit the job - I have had near miss accidents, not enough hp, not enough traction, wheels off ground, every possibly scenario I can think of - never once in all my years other than not fitting my machine through a gate have I ever said gosh I wish my tractor was smaller and dang I have too much HP I wish I had less power, stupid tractor is just too powerful........

reminds me of that old saying you WON'T see on a tombstone, " I wish I had spent more time at work "

so what did I do.............called the neighbor, friend, local rental shop to get something bigger - in my many years I now have multiple machines due to my needs and my smallest weighs over 3K lbs - down to 2500ish w/out the loader and MMM - I went with the most HP I could get on it as well.

I have had lots of equip and been around all of this stuff for going on 50yrs and smaller has NEVER been better in my experience.

 

[jeff9366]

Few with home lumber mill experience would drag logs. Dirt embedded in the bark dulls mill blades rapidly. Most would carry logs with forks, either SSQA Forks on the FEL or pallet forks on the Three Point Hitch, in order to keep trunks clean.

Many would tow large logs cradled in a Log Arch.
VIDEO: tractor log arch - YouTube

If tractor is not sufficiently heavy a loaded Log Arch can take control on slopes.

 

[buickanddeere]

Bigger is better

 

[jeff9366]

HEAVIER is better.

Bare tractor weight is a tractor specification easily found in sales brochures and web sites, readily comparable across tractor brands and tractor models.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Not arguing that I didn't mention logs of a certain size. As you can see from my pictures, but a few trees are larger than 18" in diameter. I was able to move those partial logs in the last picture rolling by hand. Hard to imagine a tractor from my list couldn't lift and/or drag two or three of those at a time. I can live without cutting down the biggest trees on my land. Just trying to keep this conversation grounded and not scope creep into an 100 hp logging tractor because I mentioned moving logs. Because the conversation becomes irrelevant to me once the tractor of discussion is out of my budget. My life will not revolve around the tractor, but I do want to make the best selection given my budget.

Nice land. Must be East Texas. I certainly would leave as many of those beautiful trees as possible! I think when you mentioned "logs" folks figured a logging operation.

I warned you so here's a defense of smaller tractors.

A smaller tractor can certainly take care of the smaller trees (Shoot, I cleared out gazillions of saplings with a *garden tractor.*) Almost any size tractor can handle the logs in your pic. If you have a few larger trees, hire someone to take them down. Cheaper than buying a bigger tractor. With a Piranha bar added to your FEL, you can push over saplings and also clear brush. More extensive brush can be cleared with a grapple, and smaller tractors can certainly handle a grapple (Everything Attachments has one specially made for SCUTS and CUTS.)

Your land does not appear to be the "wide open spaces" typical of much of Texas. In fact, I'm seeing a lot of tight spaces. A big tractor isn't much use if it won't go where you need it to go because it won't fit, unless you take down more trees, which creates more work.

It's two different mindsets and neither is "right": A big tractor can do more, quicker, but is also less nimble and more expensive to buy and operate. A small tractor can do a lot more than you think, but in smaller bites. Some brands offer more power in smaller frames, a lot of weight and capability for the $. Some brands offer more features or refinements. Decide which features are important to you (e.g., turning radius can vary by several feet in a similar size tractor!) Then prioritize those features.

 

[searcyfarms]

and that my friends is why I have a SS I don't have dirt on my logs nor do I have any troubles turning around in tight places or lifting heavy things to the appropriate height - id sell one of my tractors before I would sell my SS. they make a heck of a haying machine as well - even in the muddy winters here - I have bar tracks !!!

 

[RayfromTX]

The big problem with skid steers and the reason I went with a tractor at home even though I use a skid steer and other equipment at work is that the SS tears up the ground too much. Turning tight in anything but the hardest ground makes deep ruts and gouges. I sure wish for the power of one sometimes but when I used one on my place it just tore stuff up too much after a weekend of trying to be careful I returned it to my friend and said much obliged but I need a tractor. This is for moving through the trees and around the pasture in central texas.

 

[4570Man]

The big problem with skid steers and the reason I went with a tractor at home even though I use a skid steer and other equipment at work is that the SS tears up the ground too much. Turning tight in anything but the hardest ground makes deep ruts and gouges. I sure wish for the power of one sometimes but when I used one on my place it just tore stuff up too much after a weekend of trying to be careful I returned it to my friend and said much obliged but I need a tractor. This is for moving through the trees and around the pasture in central texas.

Same problem here. The svl-95-2 at work will flat out make a fool out of a tractor, but it rips up everything in its path. Running it on grass you care about is completely out of the question.

 

[Aquamoose]

Used (borrowed) a 25hp Kioti with a 5 ft bucket. Definitely wised me up to focus on getting the heaviest tractor for ballast and lifting capacity of the loader. The Branson 3520h I have not w fits the bill for me but like others have mentioned, dealer support is important so your mileage may vary.

I can lift big logs without any extra ballast but I use them to keep extra weight off the front axles.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

The big problem with skid steers and the reason I went with a tractor at home even though I use a skid steer and other equipment at work is that the SS tears up the ground too much. Turning tight in anything but the hardest ground makes deep ruts and gouges. I sure wish for the power of one sometimes but when I used one on my place it just tore stuff up too much after a weekend of trying to be careful I returned it to my friend and said much obliged but I need a tractor. This is for moving through the trees and around the pasture in central texas.

True. I hired a skid steer to do some work and spent a long time repairing the track marks.